Obesity Phenotypes and Electrocardiographic Characteristics in Physically Active Males: CHIEF Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Obesity Medicine
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) is linked to ECG abnormalities like left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), left atrial enlargement (LAE), and T wave inversions (TWI) in older adults.
• The relationship between obesity phenotypes and these ECG changes in young, physically active individuals remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between different obesity phenotypes and specific ECG abnormalities in physically active young adult males.
• To determine if obesity status and metabolic health influence the risk of developing ECG-LVH, ECG-LAE, and inferior TWI.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 2,156 physically active military males (aged 18-50) in Taiwan.
• Classification into four groups: metabolically healthy non-obesity (MHNO), metabolically unhealthy non-obesity (MUNO), metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), and MUO.
• ECG abnormalities (LVH, LAE, TWI) assessed using standard criteria; logistic regression adjusted for confounders.

Main Results:

• Compared to MHNO, MUNO, MHO, and MUO groups showed a lower risk of Sokolow-Lyon-based ECG-LVH.
• MUNO, MHO, and MUO groups exhibited significantly increased risks of ECG-LAE and inferior TWI compared to MHNO.
• No association was found between obesity phenotypes and Cornell-based ECG-LVH.

Conclusions:

• Obesity in physically active young males is associated with a higher risk of ECG-LAE and inferior TWI.
• The association between obesity and ECG-LVH risk differs based on the ECG criteria used.
• Further research is needed to understand the cardiovascular prognosis of ECG-LVH in physically active obese adults.